Editorials

 
EDITORIALS
Rev. Ryushin Sean Malone of the Engaged Zen Foundation in Sedgwick joins other demonstrators during a rally in front of the Margaret Chase Federal Building in Bangor in January 2012. Occupy groups from Blue Hill, Bangor, and MDI gathered to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizen United decision that allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.

A people’s revolt in Bar Harbor

on May 25, 2012, at 4:38 p.m.
Bar Harbor is the latest Maine community to join a modest but growing movement to overthrow the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that opened the way to almost unlimited corporate political spending. The Bar Harbor Town Council’s 7-0 vote for a resolution calling for curbing the flood of corporate money into ...
EDITORIALS
In this file photo from 2010, evidence is stored by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office in Bangor.

Reporting crime

on May 24, 2012, at 3:25 p.m.
The percentages weren’t wrong. But they needed more explanation. When the Bangor Daily News reported recently that Washington County had the best crime-solving record in the state and Penobscot County had the worst, we could have done a better job providing context. That’s because percentages are easily altered by small ...
EDITORIALS

She could still sing

on May 23, 2012, at 4:42 p.m.
Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. Marjorie McCaslin of Winslow stopped talking during the last few years of her life, as the Alzheimer’s disease worsened. But she still remembered how to sing. So her son, Bruce McCaslin, sang with her in the morning, afternoon and night. She ...
EDITORIALS

Caring about Alzheimer’s

on May 22, 2012, at 9:23 p.m.
First of two parts. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and its resulting memory loss and behavior changes can be devastating for families caring for a loved one with the disease. There is no cure. Treatments are few and expensive. That’s why the launch of a national ...
EDITORIALS

Feeling moody? Now what?

on May 21, 2012, at 3:46 p.m.
It was not a surprise when Moody’s Investors Service lowered Maine’s rating outlook on some bonds recently. The problems the credit rating agency listed are familiar: The state is limited in its ability to meet unexpected shortfalls and its weak demographic profile may slow revenue growth in the future. Another ...
EDITORIALS
In this file photo from 2007, a student from Warsaw Middle School puts stickers on beer at Bud’s Shop 'n Save in Pittsfield to raise awareness about providing alcohol to minors.

Got booze? We didn’t think so

on May 20, 2012, at 4:13 p.m.
Too often, people purchasing wine, beer or liquor are either not asked for their licenses or their young age is overlooked. And most often the people selling alcohol to underage buyers are lower level employees, not the owners of an establishment. That’s a sign businesses can do more to educate ...
EDITORIALS
Supporters of same-sex marriage practice role playing as they hone their persuasion skills at the Equality Maine campaign office in Brewer on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

The course of gay marriage

on May 18, 2012, at 4:34 p.m.
Maine and the country as a whole are closely divided on the subject of same-sex marriage. But polls show there is a growing percentage of advocates and shrinking percentage of opponents. As opinions shift and countries and states pass laws that allow gay couples to marry, the institution of marriage ...
EDITORIALS
In this June 9, 2011 file photo, legislators stand and applaud in the House chamber at the State House in Augusta.

Put it all together and what’ll it be? Bonds, budgets, mail and coffee

on May 17, 2012, at 4:00 p.m.
Lights, camera … The Maine Legislature has voted on numerous bills; Hampden postal workers, Maine roads and coffee drinkers have received encouraging news; and reducing the income tax rate continues to stir debate. Here’s a summary of our thoughts on the last couple days of headlines: Yay Both the Maine ...
EDITORIALS

Slumlords no longer

on May 16, 2012, at 9:39 p.m.
If you rent an apartment, your landlord should be keeping the place to a certain living standard. It should have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, acceptable air quality, proper plumbing and safe electrical wiring. The heat should work and trash can’t be blocking the fire escape. Though apartment buildings ...
EDITORIALS
In this file photo from April 16, 2009, Rep. Kathleen Chase, R-Wells, studies documents during a hearing before the Legislature’s Taxation Committee, at the State House in Augusta.

Protecting Maine’s credit

on May 15, 2012, at 4:54 p.m.
A bill that aims to reduce the income taxes Mainers pay is coming up for action by the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs perhaps as early as Wednesday. While it seems like a reasonable idea on the surface to withhold less from people’s paychecks, the long-term plan of how ...
EDITORIALS
Tom Perkins of Dirigo Architectural describes in August 2011 how the blade  of a wind turbine would be attached to the inside of the test stand at the Offshore Wind Laboratory at the University of Maine. This test stand is made of 6.5 mililon pounds of concrete and 40 tons of steel and can hold a blade up to 70 meters long for testing.

A good type of debt: Bond ME

on May 14, 2012, at 4:38 p.m.
Don’t be put off by the name. The Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine is improving your energy future. It constructed a first-in-the-nation laboratory designed to manufacture and test offshore wind turbines. It built the Offshore Wind Laboratory, in part, with $5 million in state bond ...
EDITORIALS
Senate President Kevin Raye (left), R-Perry, and Speaker of the House Robert Nutting, R-Oakland, hold a news conference on Thursday May 10, 2012 in the State House in Augusta, Maine to announce a plan to close an $83 million gap at the Department of Health and Human Services.

DHHS budget: Nearly there

on May 13, 2012, at 5:10 p.m.
Would you choose to reduce services for children with mental illnesses or cut funding for Head Start, which serves low-income children? Or perhaps you would choose to eliminate Medicaid coverage for people of a certain eligibility status? These are some of the difficult questions facing lawmakers when they reconvene on ...
EDITORIALS
Mount Kineo, which was acquired through the Land for Maine's Future program in 1990, rises out of Moosehead Lake.

Land conservation priorities can be better defined

on May 11, 2012, at 2:01 p.m.
The Land for Maine’s Future program committed the last of its money last year. So, as lawmakers consider whether Maine should borrow money to pay for infrastructure and other projects, the lack of money for land acquisition should be a concern. Members of the Appropriations Committee have agreed to a ...
EDITORIALS
Human rights activist, novelist and former Botswana high court judge Unity Dow speaks with Portland High School students in the school's library Tuesday, March 27, 2012, after receiving the key to the city from Mayor Michael Brennan.

Dear Mom, want a treaty for Mother’s Day?

on May 11, 2012, at 1:56 p.m.
When Botswana’s first female high court judge, Unity Dow, gave a lecture at the University of Maine School of Law this spring, a woman in the audience asked her about a matter often not discussed in Maine: an international treaty concerning the rights of women. Specifically, she asked Dow how ...
EDITORIALS
A same-sex female couple stands by their cake during a mass wedding at a night club in Taipei, Taiwan, when 60 same-sex female couples tied the knot during this mass wedding in the nation that does not legally recognize same sex marriages in August 2011. While gay-rights activists around the world hailed President Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage as a symbolic victory, for many the idea of legal unions between homosexuals is a distant dream.

For better

on May 10, 2012, at 3:23 p.m.
The trend is clear: more and more people are supporting the right of gay couples to marry. Polls show that support for same-sex marriage has increased two or three percentage points each year since about 2004. Currently an average of about 50 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage rights, and ...
EDITORIALS
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe speaks at the Helena Regional Airport in Helena, Mont., to answer questions about the direction of the U.S. Postal Service in April 2012.

Sending a message — preferably a letter

on May 10, 2012, at 3:15 p.m.
The U.S. Postal Service does not rely on tax dollars for its operation. Its revenues come from sales of products and postage. So, to an extent, it makes sense to not close small post offices: If you eliminate the services people and businesses are paying for, you eliminate revenue. But, ...
EDITORIALS
Delegates from Penobscot County vote on a motion during the nomination of national delegates at the Maine Republican Convention at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

Party on

on May 09, 2012, at 4:16 p.m.
The Maine Republican Party may want to do things such as build an environment for job growth and improve students’ access to technical education, but you wouldn’t know it by reading the political platform it adopted at the GOP convention this weekend. That’s because, even though a committee worked for ...
EDITORIALS
David Sawicki makes a motion on the floor designed to halt the national delegate nominating process at the Maine GOP Convention Saturday May 5, 2012. The motion was ruled out of order.

When the party turns rowdy

on May 08, 2012, at 3:37 p.m.
Amid accusations of voter fraud, ballot contamination and violations of rules of order, the Maine Republican Party has an even larger problem to worry about after its convention this weekend: future elections. The Maine Republican State Convention was an opportunity not just to elect delegates to attend the national convention ...
EDITORIALS
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul speaks at The Tea Party Express rally at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sunday May 6, 2012.

Ron Paul’s game plan

on May 08, 2012, at 2:28 p.m.
The Maine and Nevada convention victories for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul mean at least six states will send Paul majorities to the national convention. This gives the Texas congressman a strong possibility of a prime-time appearance at the podium. Mitt Romney has 856 delegates, 288 shy of the number ...
EDITORIALS
Diagram showing the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' claims management processing system.

Taking care of MaineCare

on May 07, 2012, at 2:34 p.m.
If you’re on MaineCare or you’re a doctor or medical care provider, the computer problems at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services concern you because you rely in some way on the department’s ability to accurately process medical claims. If you live in Maine, you probably care about ...
 
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